"A CONNECTOR OR DEVICE ADAPTER"

Abstract

A connector or device adapter, which can be placed on a mounting unit perpendicularly in regard to the longitudinal direction of bus bars and can be mechanically connected therewith, wherein one contact element per bus bar in the connector or device adapter is in an electrically conducting connection with the facing bus bar, wherein in the connector or device adapter the contact elements are conducted to connection receptacles (22, 23, 22', 23', 22', 23") in the area of a narrow side of the connector or device adapter, and wherein the contact elements embodied as contact rails (11, 13, 14, 11', 13', 14') are connected in an electrically conducting manner with the associated connection receptacles (22, 23, 22', 23', 22", 23", 28.1), and wherein the connector or device adapter (30) receives the contact elements (11, 13, 14, 11, 11', 13', 14', 10.1") with the contact points (12, 12") positioned in respect to the bus bars, characterized in that the contact rails (11, 13, 14, 11', 13', 14') constitute connecting units (10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.1', 10.2', 10.3', 10.1") with the associated connection receptacles (22,23, 22', 23', 22", 23"), and are fixed in place in insulating connection blocks (20, 20', 20"), wherein the connector or device adaptor (30) has receptacles (34) in the area of a narrow side that are designed as connection receptacles in which the connecting units (10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.2', 10.3', 10.1") are fixed in place.

Full Text

The present invention relates to a connector or device adapter.
Connection or Device Adapter
The invention relates to a connector or device adapter, which can be placed on a mounting unit perpendicularly in regard to the longitudinal direction of bus bars and can be mechanically connected therewith, wherein one contact element in the connector or device adapter per bus bar is in an electrically conducting connection with the facing bus bar, and wherein.in the connector or device adapter the contact elements are conducted to connecting receptacles in the area of a narrow side of the connector or device adapter.
Such a device or connector adapter in connection with a bus bar system is known from DE 103 00 723 Al. In this case the bus bar system, together with the mounting units and the connector or device adapter, is designed as a three phase system. The installation of the contact elements in the connector or device adapter and their connection with the connecting receptacles in the area of the narrow sides of the connector or device adapter require a considerable assembly and parts outlay.
It is the object of the invention to provide a device or connector adapter of the type mentioned at the outset,, in which the assembly and parts outlay for the connector or device adapter is substantially reduced, and wherein new variation possibilities for its layout are provided.
In accordance with the invention, this object is attained in that the contact elements embodied as contact rails are connected in an electrically conducting manner with the associated connection receptacles and constitute connecting units, and that the connector or device adapter has receptacles
for the connecting units in the area of a narrow side and receives the contact
elements with the contact points positioned in respect to the bus bars.
The connecting units consisting of contact rail and connecting receptacle can be prefabricated without a large outlay for parts and assembly and can be simply connected with the connector or device adapter. The connection receptacles contain all electrical parts providing the connection with the contact rail and provide the connecting possibility for lines, plugs or the like.
Here, an embodiment favorable for the production and mounting consists in that the contact rails with the associated connection receptacles are fixed in place in insulating connection blocks, and the connecting units are fixed in place in the receptacles designed as connection receptacles.
If in accordance with an embodiment it has been provided that three connecting units with contact elements of different lengths, matched to the spaced-apart bus bars, are employed in a three-phase connecter or device adapter, only the length of the connecting contacts at the three reguired connecting units is changed. The remaining structure and the connection of the parts with the connecting units, however, remains the same. In this case the assembly can be easily achieved in that the electrical components can be fixed in place and brought into electrical connection with each other in the course of producing the connection blocks by means of a plastic injection molding process.
The connection receptacles are arranged at a narrow side of the connector or device adapter and can be embodied as individual receptacles for the connection blocks. In this case
the connection of the connection units with the connector or device adapter can be simplified in that the individuai receptacles are embodied as snap-in receptacles for the connection blocks.
In accordance with an advantageous further development it has been provided that the snap-in receptacles accept connection blocks of different widths with contact elements of different widths, wherein the width is oriented parallel in respect to the longitudinal direction of the bus bars. In this way it is possible to lay out the insulating housing of the connector or device adapter for different current intensities, in case connecting units with different contact elements are employed.
In accordance with an embodiment the reception of the contact elements in the connector or device adapter, and the electrical contacting with the bus bars is solved in that, on its underside which is to face the mounting unit, the connector or device adapter is divided into bus bar receptacles by means of separating walls, that the contact elements are received in longitudinal grooves on the top or on an intermediate wall of the connector or device adapter and protrude with bow-like contact points formed on their ends through openings into the bus bar receptacles, and that the contact elements are covered on the top by means of a cover plate. In that case the top of the connector or device adapter can be utilized in its entirety for the further installation of devices and the like. Furthermore, the connection with the bus bar receivers on the underside of the connector or device adapter exist only for the contact points of the contact elements, and therefore with the bus bars of the mounting unit.
In accordance with one embodiment, the covering of the contact elements is designed such that the connector or device adapter has longitudinal edge elements projecting past its top, which form a reception trough for the contact elements, and that
the cover plate has been snapped into this reception trough. These longitudinal edge elements can be provided with fastening receivers for the installation of devices, since they have the required stability on the connector or device adapter.
So that the contact points of the contact elements take up defined positions in the connector or device adapter, a further development provides that/ following the contact points, the contact elements bridge the openings by means of an end section and rest on the top or intermediate wall of the connector or device adapter.
If the embodiment is such that the connector or device adapter only has one connection receptacle on the narrow side for a connection unit with a connection block and a contact element, the bus bar system can only be utilized with one phase, and the connector or device adapter is limited to the means required for this.
However, the embodiment can also be such that the connector or device adapter has a connection receptacle on the narrow side for a connection block with, for example, two or three contact elements. The multi-connecting unit formed in this way takes the place of three connecting units, in which all three contact elements are fixed in place and are electrically connected with the associated connector receptacles.
The connection receptacles of the connecting units can be variously embodied. A mounting-friendly embodiment can be embodied in such a way that the connection receptacles of the connecting units are embodied as screwless clamping connectors for individual connectors.
It is also possible to do without a further mounting of connectors in that the connection receptacles are designed as electrical plug-in receptacles for electrical plugs, which in turn are provided with line connections for lines to be connected.
A further advantageous embodiment, with which no connection block is required, consists in that the connector receptacle is formed on a connector element whose other side is in firm electrical contact with the contact rail.
The invention will be explained in greater detail by means of an exemplary embodiment represented in the drawings. Shown are in:
Fig. 1, three connector units for a three-phase connector or device adapter for high-intensity current in a perspective plan view,
Fig. 2, correspondingly, three connector units with contact elements for low-intensity current,
Fig. 3A, a modified connecting unit for a single-phase connection of the connector or device adapter, and with a plug,
Fig. 3Br a device adapter attached to a mounting unit with a connecting unit in accordance with Fig. 3A, with the plug removed,
Fig. 3C, a section through a connection block with a contact rail formed in it,
Fig. 4, the view on the top of a connector or device adapter with three inserted connecting units for a three-phase system,
Fig. 5, a perspective view on the uncovered top of the connector cr device adapter equipped with connecting units,
Fig. 6, a perspective view of the underside of the connector or device adapter with the bus bar receptacles and the contact points of the contact elements projecting into these,
Fig. 7, a device adapter with a connecting unit in accordance with a further exemplary embodiment, and
Fig. 8, the device adapter in accordance with Fig. 1 in a exploded view.
Three connector units 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3 are shown in a perspective view in Fig. lr which are employed for a connector or
device adapter 30 in accordance with Figs. 4 to 6, when for all three phases of the bus bar system the latter is brought into contact with a mounting unit for three spaced-apart bus bars.
These connecting units 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3 can be prefabricated and respectively comprise a connection block 20 with connection receptacles 22 and 23, which is produced by means of a plastic injection molding process, wherein the contact elements 11, 13 and 14, embodied as spring-elastic contact rails, as well as the contacting elements, are introduced into the connection receptacles 22 and 23 by injection molding, are simultaneously fixed in place and electrically connected with each other. Fig. 3C shows the fixation in place of a contact rail 11 in the associated connection block 20 by means of a U-shaped section 11,1. Instead of allocating a contact rail 11, 13, 14 to a respective connection block 20, an alternative embodiment can also be such that the contact rails 11, 13, 14 are bound together in a common combined connection block with connection receptacles 22, 23 associated with the contact rails.
As Figs. 4 to 6 show, on one narrow side of the housing made of an insulating material, the connector or device adapter 30 has a neck 33, into which connector receptacles 34 have been placed, which here are designed as single receptacles. The connecting units 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3, or 10.1', 10.2' or 10.3' can be snapped from the top of the connector or device adapter 30 into these connector receptacles 34 which have, for example, a shaft- like guidance device. For this purpose the connection blocks 20 or 20' have snap-in elements 21 formed on the front face, which snap into snap-in receptacles of the neck 33, as can be seen in Fig. 5. in this case the connector receptacles 34 can have a width and can be divided by intermediate walls in such a way that the widest connection blocks 20 in accordance with Fig. 1 can be accommodated. However, narrower connection blocks 20' in accordance with Fig. 2, which also support narrower contact
elements 11', 13' and 14' embodied as contact rails, can also be snapped into the connector receptacles 34. The length of the contact elements 11', 13' And 14' of the connecting units 10.1', 10.2' and 10.3' in accordance with Fig. 2 corresponds to the length of the contact elements 11, 13 and 14 of the connecting units 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3 in accordance with Fig. 1.
It can be seen in Fig. 4 that three longitudinal grooves 31 have been cut, spaced apart from each other, into the top of the connector or device adapter 30, whose width is matched to the largest width of contact elements 11, 13 and 14, so that therefore they can also receive the narrower contact elements 11', 13' and 14'. The top of the connector or device adapter is closed by means of taller longitudinal edge elements 39 (Fig. 5), which delimit a reception trough 40. If the connecting units 10.1 to 1C.3, or 10.1' to 10.31, have been snapped into the connector or device adapter 30, the contact elements 11, 13 and 14, or 11', 13' and 14', can be covered on the top by means of a cover plate 38. In this case the cover plate 38 can preferably be snapped into the reception trough 40. The longitudinal edge elements 39 of the connector or device adapter 30 are provided with fastening receptacles, so that fastening retainers, devices and the like can be fastened on the top of the connector or device adapter 30.
The contact elements 11, 13 and 14, or 11', 13' and 14', of the connecting units 10.1. 10,2 and 10.3, cr 10.1', 10.2' and 10.3", are of different lengths and terminate at the free ends into contact points 12 or 12'. These contact points 12 or 12' are embodied bow-like and project through openings 32 in the connector or device adapter 30 in bus bar receptacles 35.1, 35.2 and 35.3 on the underside of the connector or device adapter 30, which faces the mounting unit with the bus bars. The lengths of the contact elements 11, 13, 14, or 11', 13', 14', and the spacing between the openings 35.1, 35.2, 35.3 in the connector ordevice adapter 30 are matched to the spacing between the bus bars in the mounting unit. The contact points 12 Or 12' slightly project into the bus bar receptacles 35.1, 35.2 and 35.3, so that they can come resiliently into electrical contact with the bus bars as soon as the connector or device adapter 30 has been mechanically connected with the mounting unit. This mechanical connection can be achieved by means of snap-in elements and/or other connecting elements, such as indicated by the elements 42 and 43 (Fig. 6) on the connector or device adapter 30. The mounting unit has the corresponding counter-connecting and/or snap-in elements.
The contact elements 11, 13 and 14, or 11', 13' and 14', embodied as contact rails terminate in end sections at the free end at the connection with the contact points 12 or 12' which, after the openings 32, are supported on the top of the reception trough 4G of the connector or device adapter 30, as can be seen in Fig. 4.
It still remains to be mentioned that the connector or device adapter 40 can also be used for a single-phase system. In that case only one connector receptacle 34 is provided on the neck 33, into which a connecting unit 10.1. 10.2, 10.3, 10.1', 10.2" or 10.3' can be inserted or snapped. By means of the selection of the connecting unit it is possible here to determine with which bus bar of the mounting unit the connector or device adapter is connected and placed into contact in the single-phase system.
As Fie. 3A indicates, the connecting unit in the form of a one-phase connecting unit can have only one contact element 11" or, in the form of a multi-phase connecting unit, three contact elements of different length. The connection receptacles 22" and 23" are correspondingly provided and distributed once or three times.
Fig. 3A furthermore shows a plug 25, which is plugged with
a prong 26 into the connection receptacles 23 or 23' and makes contact therein, and which itself has connection receptacles 22", 23", with which connecting lines can either be connected from the outset, or can be brought into contact in a way similar to the one in the connection receptacles 22, 23, or 22', 23'. The connecting lines can be easily removed together from the connection blocks 20, 20', and therefore from the connecting units, by means of the plug 25. A snap-in lever 24 with a snap-in protrusion, which, by means of a prestressed spring, snaps into a depression on the front face of the adapter housing, for example a snap-in receiver 21, is advantageously provided for fixing the plug 25 in place. In a perspective representation, Fig. 3B shows a device adapter 30 with inserted connecting units attached to a mounting unit of a bus bar system, as well as with a removed plug, which can be inserted into the respective connection receptacles 23 of the connection blocks 20 and is itself provided with connecting cables.
Fig. 7 shows a device adapter 30 with an alternative embodiment of a connecting unit, of which only the connection receptacles embodied on the connecting elements 28 can be seen. The connecting elements 28, whose oppositely located end sections have been put into electrical contact with beveled surface areas of the contact rails 13 and 14, as can be seen in Fig. 8, are conducted outward perpendicularly in relation to the top of the device adapter 3C, through passages 29.1 of an insertion element 29 inserted at the narrow side of the adapter in the area of the connection receptacles 34. Advantageously the connection between the connecting elements 28 and the contact rails is provided by means of welding, in particular ultrasonic welding, or by soldering. Connecting lines can be attached, for example by means of binding posts, to the connection receptacles of the connecting elements 28.
As Fig. 8 furthermore shows, the insertion element 29 is
hollowed out on the underside and has clamps, in which the contact areas between the connecting elements 28 and the contact rails 11, 13, 14 are received. The insertion elements 29 are fixed in place on the adapter housing by being snapped in, for example, or have been simply inserted and can be maintained in place by means of the cover plate 38' which, in turn, is snapped together with the upper edges of the adapter housing and extends over protrusions of the insertion element 29. Fig. 8 furthermore shows that the contact rails are advantageously supported on the top of their contact points 12, 12' by means of helical springs 50 against the underside of the cover plate 38' in order to generate a dependable contact pressure on the associated bus bars.

We claim:
1. A connector or device adapter, which can be placed on a mounting unit perpendicularly in regard to the longitudinal direction of bus bars and can be mechanically connected therewith, wherein one contact element per bus bar in the connector or device adapter is in an electrically conducting connection with the facing bus bar, wherein in the connector or device adapter the contact elements are conducted to connection receptacles (22, 23, 22', 23', 22', 23") in the area of a narrow side of the connector or device adapter, and wherein the contact elements embodied as contact rails (11, 13, 14, 11', 13', 14') are connected in an electrically conducting manner with the associated connection receptacles (22, 23, 22', 23', 22", 23", 28.1), and wherein the connector or device adapter (30) receives the contact elements (11, 13, 14, 11, 11', 13', 14', 10.1") with the contact points (12, 12") positioned in respect to the bus bars, characterized in that the contact rails (11, 13, 14, 11', 13', 14') constitute connecting units (10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.1', 10.2', 10.3', 10.1") with the associated connection receptacles (22,23, 22', 23', 22", 23"), and are fixed in place in insulating connection blocks (20, 20', 20"), wherein the connector or device adaptor (30) has receptacles (34) in the area of a narrow side that are designed as connection receptacles in which the connecting units (10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.2', 10.3', 10.1") are fixed in place.
2. The adapter as claimed in claim 1, wherein three connecting units (10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.1', 10.2', 10.3', 10") with contact elements of different lengths, matched to the spaced-apart bus bars, are employed in a three-phase connector or device adapter (30).
3. The adapter as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the connection receptacles (34) are arranged at the narrow side of the connector or device adapter (30) and are embodied as individual receptacles for a respective connection block (20, 20').
4. The adapter as claimed in claim 3, wherein the individual receptacles are embodied as snap-in receptacles for the connection blocks (20, 20').
5. The adapter as claimed in claim 4, wherein the snap-in receptacles accept connection blocks (20, 20') of different widths with contact elements (11, 13, 14, 11', 13', 14') of different widths, wherein the width is oriented parallel in respect to the longitudinal direction of the bus bars.
6. The adapter as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, wherein on its underside which is to face the mounting unit, the connector or device adapter (30) is divided into bus bar receptacles (35.1, 35.2, 35.3) by means of separating walls (36, 37), the contact elements (11, 13, 14, 11', 13', 14') are received in longitudinal grooves on the top or on an intermediate wall of the connector or device adapter (30 and protrude with bow-like contact points (12, 12') formed on their ends through openings (32) into the bus bar receptacles (35.1, 35.2, 35.31, and the contact elements (11, 13, 14, 11', 13', 14') are covered on the top by means of a cover plate (38, 38').
7. The adapter as claimed in claim 6, wherein the contact elements (11, 13, 14, 11, 13', 14') are supported on their top by means of helical springs (50) against the underside of the cover plate (38).
8. The adapter as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the connector or device adapter (30) has longitudinal edge elements (39) projecting past its top, which form a reception trough (40) for the contact elements (11, 13, 14, 11', 13', 14'), and the cover plate (38) has been snapped into this reception through (40).
9. The adapter as claimed in one of claims 6 and 8, wherein, following the contact points (12, 12'), the contact elements (11, 13, 14, 11', 13', 14') bridge the openings (32) by means of an end section and rest on the top or intermediate wall of the connector or device adapter (30).
10. The adapter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector or device adapter (30) only has one connection receptacle (34) on the narrow side for a connection unit (10.1, 10.1') which a connection block (20, 20') and a contact element (11').
11. The adapter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector or device adapter (30) has a connection receptacle (34) on the narrow side for a connection block with three contact elements (11, 13, 14, 11', 13', 14').
12. The adapter as claimed in one of claim 1 to 11, wherein the connection receptacles (22, 23, 22', 23', 22", 23") of the connecting units (10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.1', 10.2', 10.3', 10.1') are embodied as screwless clamping connectors for individual connectors.
13. The adapter as claimed in one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the connection receptacles (22, 23, 22', 23', 22", 23") are designed as electrical plug-in receptacles for electrical plugs (25), which in turn are provided with line connection (22", 23") for lines to be connected.
14. The adapter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector receptacles (28.1) is formed on a connector elements (28) whose other side is in firm electrical contact with the contact rail (11, 13, 14, 11', 13', 14').